1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a deboning device and a deboning method used in a deboning process of a bone-in leg of a poultry carcass or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
A deboning process of a bone-in leg of a livestock carcass such as a poultry carcass has been conventionally developed for the purpose of saving labor, improving yield, and stabilizing the shape of deboned meat. The bone-in leg has a muscle and a tendon which firmly couple a bone portion and a meat portion in the vicinity of a knee joint, and hence it is necessary to accurately cut them. Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-333894 discloses a technique in which an incision making step of the bone-in leg of the poultry carcass is automated.
Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-10732 discloses a deboning technique in which tearing of leg meat of a thigh of a bone-in leg of which deboning from an ankle to a knee joint is completed manually or by an existing deboning unit is automated. WO 2011/121899 discloses a deboning technique which has been developed prior to the present invention by the present inventors. In the deboning technique, a bone portion and a meat portion are separated from each other without separating an ankle, a lower thigh bone, and a thigh bone from each other, and processes from loading of the bone-in leg of the poultry carcass or the like to separation of the bone from the meat are fully automated. In the case where the bone-in log is automatically deboned, normally, the bone-in leg is suspended from a clamping device via the ankle and a plurality of deboning processes are performed while the bone-in leg is moved by the clamping device, whereby automation and labor saving are achieved.    [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. H11-333894    [Patent Document 2] Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2002-10732    [Patent Document 3] WO 2011/121899